No Battery, No Problem: DARPA's Drone Defies Convention

DARPA's XRQ-73 completed its first flight, proving hybrid-electric propulsion can power military drones without heavy battery packs

8 May 2026

A hybrid-electric unmanned aircraft built for the United States military completed its first flight in April 2026, in a test publicly confirmed on May 6. The XRQ-73, developed by Northrop Grumman and its experimental unit Scaled Composites under a programme run by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, flew at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Air Force Research Laboratory was also involved.

Weighing 1,250 pounds, the aircraft uses a gas turbine to generate electricity in flight, removing the need for heavy battery packs. Scaled Composites test pilot Dr Mike McLean operated the drone remotely.

Eliminating onboard batteries was a deliberate engineering choice. Battery-dependent aircraft face complex certification hurdles that have held back comparable programmes. Without them, the XRQ-73 achieves quieter operation and lower fuel consumption, making it harder to detect during surveillance missions. Rated as a Group 3 unmanned system, it is authorised to fly at altitudes up to 18,000 feet and speeds approaching 288 miles per hour.

"This milestone is not just about a single flight. The architecture proven by the XRQ-73 paves the way for new types of mission systems and delivered effects."

DARPA's aim is not to field the XRQ-73 itself. Its SHEPARD programme exists to bring hybrid-electric propulsion to a maturity level where it can be adopted across a range of future military aircraft. Building on an earlier effort, the Great Horned Owl research programme, the XRQ-73 scales a proven drivetrain into a larger airframe fitted with operationally relevant systems. Northrop Grumman brings more than 500,000 autonomous flight test hours to the project.

Whether hybrid-electric propulsion moves from research into active military service will depend on resolving challenges that remain: thermal management, long-duration autonomous flight, and the integration of high-voltage systems. A full flight test programme is now underway.